


Installations

by markiboss (purplelly)



Series: Wires and Rods [2]
Category: jacksepticeye, markiplier - Fandom
Genre: M/M, robot engineer!mark, robot!jack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-14
Updated: 2015-08-14
Packaged: 2018-04-14 17:46:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4573869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/purplelly/pseuds/markiboss
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>The second part to Artificial! (Bare with me I have no clue what im doing with this series)</p>
    </blockquote>





	Installations

**Author's Note:**

> The second part to Artificial! (Bare with me I have no clue what im doing with this series)

Over the next few days, while waiting for the parts to be shipped in, Mark has Jack help him around the shop.

During those few days, Mark notices how much Jack is not much like a robot at all.

He’d known there was something off about him since he found him. Jack didn’t act like a usual android would; he was more emotional, opinionated; he was more _human_. The only thing that stopped him from being that was his rubber skin and fake hair and metal insides.

Of course, he did occasionally act like a normal robot. He was obedient, worked hard, the default traits of a bot. But there was more to him than met the eye.

Even a few customers at the shop mistook him for a human worker. An old lady, a frequent visitor to the shop due to her constantly breaking her gadgets, spoke low in his ear when Jack was busy fixing up a radio.

“So, you’re finally not alone in this shop,” She said with a smile. “Who is he? A friend? Family? Boyfriend?”

Mark spluttered, taken aback by the questions. “Oh, no, no. He’s just working here for a while.”

The lady gave him a knowing grin and a wink. “Of course, honey.”

Mark hurried with her watch before hurrying her out. She gave a thanks and a long look at Jack, as if noticing something not quite right about him, but she was gone before it seemed to click.

One time a richer couple came in with their robot. One made to look like a female teenager, maybe in her early twenties. The couple insisted he’d better get her fixed by tomorrow, and without really telling Mark what was wrong, they were gone.

It took a while for Mark to figure out what was even broken in the android. He couldn’t even turn her on and ask her; her robotic body refused to ‘wake up’.

Jack watched over his shoulder as Mark searched through her back panel, through the parts that all seem intact, and into her head. She was a model made for serving around the house as a maid/butler/etc. for whatever her owners felt like. Her skin was strong, made to last, and her mechanics in her limbs made her stronger than the average. Her head was not as complicated, though, with simple parts that made her AI weak. Which made the problem all the more easy to see; a couple burnt out wires to her power source, a sun energy type with a box-sized storage unit.

Jack watched with curious eyes as Mark replaced the wires and made sure all were connected as they were before. He had such an intense gaze on the inside of the android’s head, his mouth dropped open slightly and leaning forward. The focused expression on Mark’s hands as he worked made the engineer smile fondly.

“Is that what I look like?” Jack asked after a moment.

Mark looked up. “What? In here?” He gestured to the android’s head. Jack nodded.

“No- well,” Mark replied. “I don’t know what the inside of your head looks like yet. But I know it’s not like this. She gains her energy by solar power. Here, look,” He picks up a strand of her hair. “Each hair is like a solar panel. It gains energy from the sun and stores it in here,” He points to the storage unit. “To be used later. Your energy source is air based. Every time you breathe in, you power yourself. So, no, I don’t think your head looks much like this.”

Jack seemed to think for a moment, putting a hand on his chest as he breathed in and out. “Will you ever take a look in my head?”

Mark closes the robot’s head and stands up, packing away the wires in a little box. “Yeah, eventually. I need to fix your memory chips, and it wouldn’t hurt to make sure nothing’s wrong up there.” He paused. “Though, I’d like to fix everything else first. Heads are usually complicated, especially custom ones, which you seem to be. I’d have to schedule a day off first.”

Jack nodded, glancing at the robot sitting up unnaturally still. Mark pressed the hidden button behind her ear and watched as her eyes slowly opened.

“Hey, there,” Mark said cautiously. “How are you feeling?”

She blinked once. “My core was damaged.” She said monotonously.

“Yes,” Mark said. “But it’s fixed now. Is anything else damaged?”

She blinked again. Mark presumed she did a scan over her body’s status. “No more damages.”

“Well, that’s good,” Mark replied. “I’m going to shut you down now, alright? Your owners will be back tomorrow to pick you up.”

She nodded once, her expression unchanging. “I understand.”

He pressed the button behind her ear once more, and her eyes closed again.

Mark moved her so she was standing beside the door. As he turned around, he noticed Jack staring at the robot with wide eyes.

Mark could tell Jack felt uneasy. Once again something robots shouldn’t feel, but Mark’s gotten used to it by now. He walks up to the Irish robot and gains his attention.

“What’s wrong?” He asked.

Jack shook his head. “Do I act like that?”

Mark wasn’t sure if he heard fear in his voice. It made his heart ache. “...No, actually. I’m surprised by your behavior. You...You’re more advanced than any robot I’ve ever seen.”

“Is-Is that good?” Jack asked.

“To me? It’s incredible,” Mark beamed.

Jack smiled, relieved, and almost looked flattered at Mark’s response. The expressions, usually foreign on an android, added to the pile of questions Mark had about this being.

The times at Mark’s home aren’t very different from the times spent at the shop, though at the shop he’s working. It’s usually quiet in Mark’s small apartment. He sometimes has the television on a low volume as he cooks a meal or cleans. Jack, since his arrival, just wanders the house or watches what’s on the TV. Mark once wondered if he should make a second serving for Jack, but then reminded himself Jack is an android, therefore doesn’t need to eat.

At night, Mark takes the bed, while Jack lulls himself into a sleep mode on the couch. Mark has woken up before and jumped a mile at seeing Jack’s shadowed outline sitting straight up on the couch.

Mark is at the shop most of the day, so when he goes home, he uses it as a chance to wind down from a long day. He plays a movie or some TV show reruns until he gets drowsy and goes to bed.

Jack just sits with him and powers down as Mark heads to his bedroom.

Mark tries to engage Jack in conversation. The robot almost seems uncomfortable in Mark’s place, so Mark makes attempts to reassure him that he’s welcome. He tries to get Jack to pick a movie out or decide on a show to watch. Jack is mostly unfamiliar with whatever Mark suggests, and ends making Mark choose.

After a few days, Jack starts to recognize the shows and ends up picking ones he enjoyed most. Those typically being comedic, and Mark doesn’t argue.

It was one of those nights when Mark starts to get drowsy during the show. He debated going to bed, but looked over at Jack and saw his smiling face. He decided he’d rather not interrupt and just wait for the show to end.

He ended up dozing off in the middle of the show.

When he woke up, he was lying on something hard but comfortable. A hand was running through his hair soothingly, and almost convinced him to go back to sleep. He could hear something faintly in front of him, maybe someone talking - and then a chorus of laughs. Like a TV show…

Then he remembered he never went to bed and had fallen asleep on the couch.

He opened his eyes and instead of seeing the couch cushion he had assumed he’d fallen asleep on, he was lying on a pair of legs. He shifted to look up, the hand in his hair stopping motion but stayed in its position. Jack’s face greeted him with a small smile.

“Morning!” Jack said.

Mark blinked a few times before rubbing at them. “Did I fall asleep on you? You could’ve woken me up.”

Jack shrugged. “You looked peaceful. I didn’t want to.” His hand in Mark’s hair begins moving again. “You have very soft hair.”

Mark chuckled. “Thanks.” Usually someone doing such an intimate motion would’ve bothered Mark, but it felt comforting instead. He’s probably just gotten used to Jack’s company.

Despite the comfortable position and Mark’s tiredness trying to lull him back to sleep, he forces himself to get up and head out to the shop, Jack following.

A few days later, the parts Mark was waiting for arrived.

It took a few hours, but eventually, Mark had replaced everything damaged in Jack’s body. He even drained excess water out that he’d somehow missed beforehand. Jack’s fake skin was no longer so blotchy with the temporary paste, and he seemed to breathe better with the new air sacks. Jack seemed to _feel_ better, too. He was more lively after the new parts were installed, more happy.

After the final wire was fixed, Mark closed the panel on Jack’s back, and wiped the sweat off his forehead. He patted Jack’s shoulder.

“There. You’re good to go now.”

Jack bounced up from the table and seemed to test everything about him now. He stretched and breathed deeply, feeling over his now smooth rubber skin.

“Better?” Mark asked with a smile.

“Wonderful!” Jack replied. He threw his arms around Mark’s neck, nearly toppling the repairman.

“Yes, you're welcome,” Mark laughed.

“Are you going to fix my memory now?” Jack asked, pulling away.

Mark hums, looking at his watch. He doesn’t have to work today, and he has no other plans, so why not? He’s been dying to look in the android's head anyways.

“Yeah, why not?” Mark replied.

Jack grinned. “Thank you!”

Mark directs him to sit on the table while he fetches his tools. When Mark returns, he sets his tools down and taps his chin.

“I don’t think I’ve ever asked this before,” Mark said. “Where’s your power button?”

“Oh! It’s on the back of my neck,” Jack replied immediately.

Mark walks behind him, brushing his fingers through the hair at the base of Jack’s neck, searching for a switch. His fingers find a crevice in the skin, and follows it until he finds the shape of a button.

“Okay, I found it,” Mark said. “I’m going to shut you off for now, okay? I’ll wake you again when I fix your memory.”

Jack hesitated before speaking. “Okay.” He sounds determined, despite the slight tremor in his voice.

“Ready? I’ll count down,” Mark said. “One….Two….” His finger hovers over the button. “...Three.” He pushes down.


End file.
